GAME NOTES: After toppling top-seeded Virginia on Friday, the Michigan State
Spartans will face the upstart Connecticut Huskies in the East Region Final at
New York's famed Madison Square Garden.

Led by American Athletic Player of the Year Shabazz Napier, UConn has been
playing above the No. 7 seed it earned in this tournament. The Huskies knocked
off third-seeded Iowa State (81-76) in the Sweet 16, following a 77-65 upset
of second-seeded Villanova. They are now attempting to reach the Final Four
just three years removed from their surprising run to the 2011 national title.

The Sweet 16 battle between Michigan State and Virginia was as advertised,
with the fourth-seeded Spartans surviving with a 61-59 victory. The win was
the sixth straight for Tom Izzo's club, which includes their run to the Big
Ten Tournament title. The Spartans are back in the Elite Eight for the first
time since 2010, which was also the last time they made it to the Final Four.

The 2010 trip to the Final Four was the second straight for MSU, which
actually defeated UConn (82-73) in the 2009 semifinals before falling to North
Carolina in the national title tilt. These teams have met twice since, with
UConn winning both times to pull ahead in the all-time series, 3-2.

The winner this time will take on No. 1 overall seed Florida in the Final Four
next Saturday.

UConn dominated in the first half and then held on in the second to pull off
the upset of Iowa State. The Huskies led by as many as 17 points and shot 52
percent for the game, while holding scoring edges from both 3-point range
(27-18) and the free-throw line (20-6).

DeAndre Daniels (13 ppg, 5.8 rpg) came up big in the win, controlling the
paint with a team-high 27 points to go with 10 rebounds and a pair of blocked
shots. Daniels is clearly the most productive performer in close to the basket
for the Huskies, who rely more on their talented backcourt. At the forefront
of that game plan is Napier. The 6-foot-1 guard, who was a freshman on the
2011 national title squad, leads this year's team in scoring (17.9 ppg),
assists (4.9 apg), rebounding (5.9 rpg) and steals (1.8 spg). Ryan Boatright
(12.1 ppg, 3.4 apg) and Niels Giffey (8.4 ppg, .514 3P percentage) provide
depth and offensive punch out on the perimeter.

After trading leads during the first 38 minutes of action on Friday, Michigan
State was tied with Virginia at 51-51 with 1:49 to play. The Spartans then got
a 3-pointer from Adreian Payne and a dunk from Branden Dawson to take control
of the game, as they held on by hitting 5-of-7 free-throws in the final
minute.

Dawson compiled 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Payne had 16 points in the win
over Virginia, as the frontcourt tandem powered Michigan State not just in
that key stretch, but the entire game. The rest of the team managed only 23
points on 7-of-19 shooting. Leading the charge offensively is not a rare
occurrence for Payne (16.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg), who is second on the roster in
scoring, but getting such a productive effort from Dawson (11.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg)
was a surprise, considering he is more of a complementary scorer. To defeat
the Huskies, the Spartans will need better play from their key backcourt
contributors -- Gary Harris (16.6 ppg) and Keith Appling (11.4 ppg, 4.5 apg),
who combined for a mere eight points against Virginia.

Although this is technically a neutral-site affair, there is no question that
UConn has a bit of an edge playing at Madison Square Garden. However, the
Huskies are too thin inside to expect to overpower Michigan State like they
did Iowa State. As long as Harris and Appling return to form, the Spartans'
superior balance should win out.